Bryan Powell nailed a 3-pointer with 3.8 seconds left to lift the Calvin Knights to a 50-47 win over the Adrian College Bulldogs on Saturday night in Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association men's basketball action.

The basket off-set a hot shooting night for Bulldog senior Cody Barnes. Barnes led all scorers with 22 points and had a chance to tie the game at the last second, but his attempt was deflected by Mickey DeVries and the first-place Knights escaped with the win.

"It was a tough way to lose," said Bulldog coach Mark White. "It is tough to get shots to drop. It's hard to score on Calvin. The difference was their rebounding. Their work on the boards just killed us."

Calvin (17-2, 8-0 MIAA) outrebounded Adrian 36-31, but didn't take control of the boards until midway through the second half. Both teams played strong defense, resulting in many contested shots, though surprisingly few free throws. The Knights were 9 of 12 and Adrian was 5-for-5 from the charity stripe.

The Bulldogs (15-4, 4-4) took a 25-20 lead at halftime, as Barnes scored 10 of the team's last 14 points. His jumper just before the buzzer gave Adrian the five-point lead.

Adrian hit the first two baskets of the second half for a 29-20 lead, its largest of the game. However, Calvin took a timeout and then proceeded on an 18-6 run to take the lead.

The Knights were looking to salt the game away when Barnes hit a 3-pointer at 8:46 to bring the Bulldogs back to 41-40, but they were never able to take the lead. Barnes was fouled by David Rietema and sank both free throws to tie the game with 21 seconds left. However, after a timeout, Powell was set up for the winning shot and drained it.

Powell led Calvin with 13 points and Tom Snikkers added 10. Eric Lewis with 10 was the only other Bulldog in double figures, though Adam Meier scored all seven of his points in the second half. Adrian needed the balance, as Calvin stepped up an already tight defense and denied Barnes the ball for much of the second half.

"Both teams played very well. Their depth had a lot to do with getting the win," White said." They wore us down, but I'm proud of how our guys fought back."

The game featured the two best defensive teams in the MIAA. Calvin shot 36.7 percent from the floor (18 of 49), while Adrian was 19 for 52 for 36.5 percent. The score was tied three times and the lead changed hands nine times.

The Bulldogs have two road games this week. Wednesday they play at Hope, and Saturday Adrian is at Trine. Hope beat Adrian 81-72 on Jan. 5, and the Bulldogs beat Trine 56-54 four days later.